0967 BELARUS (Mogilev) - St. Nicholas Monastery Complex in the city of Mahilyou (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

Located in eastern Belarus, at about 76km from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and 105km from the border with Russia's Bryansk Oblast, Mogilev (also spelled Mahilyow) is a city with a long history, documentary attested since 1267. From the 14th century was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, then, since 1569, part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 16th-17th centuries the city flourished as one of the main nodes of the east-west and north-south trading routes. In 1577 Polish King Stefan Batory granted it with city rights under Magdeburg law. After the First Partition of Poland (1772) it became part of the Russian Empire. During WWI, the Stavka, the headquarters of the Russian Imperial Army was based in the city.

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